Recently,  we sent out an online survey attempting to gauge what people know and do not know about Onondaga Lake. The results were as follows:

• 54% of respondents have not been to Onondaga Lake, and 46% have.
• The vast majority of respondents (54%) were aware of the pollution at Onondaga, but did not know the extent of it. 
• A whopping 62% of respondents were unaware of the Onondaga Nation’s historical connection to Onondaga Lake.
• 54% of respondents said that the state of Onondaga Lake was relevant to their life.  38% said that it was “maybe a little” relevant, and 8% said that the state of the Lake was not relevant to their lives at all.
• 77% said that they cared about the state of Onondaga Lake. 15% said they cared “a little” and 8% said they did not care at all.
• 54% were not aware of any cleanup projects put in place to help clean up the Lake. 46% were aware, and when asked to comment, all respondents aware of the projects wrote something along the lines of “honeywell” or “dredging”.88% said the Lake could be cleaner, 0% said the Lake was perfectly clean, and 12% had no opinion.
• In order of decreasing interest, respondents stated that they would like to participate in the following activities at Onondaga Lake: Kayaking, canoeing, and boating, running, walking the dog, swimming, group and community activities, and fishing.

We decided that a survey would be a wise choice for our first element in order to assess the the knowledge people already have about pollution at Onondaga Lake and its relation to the Onondaga Nation. We can safely conclude from the survey that our main issues are awareness of the state of the Lake in general and also of its importance, not only to the Onondaga Nation but also to members of the Syracuse community and beyond. Onondaga Lake should be held very close to a Syracuse resident’s heart because of the natural recreation it provides in an urban city. People visiting the park are able to run, walk their dogs, take their children to the playgrounds, etc., at the lakeshore, and keeping this environment clean is a must. Over the summer months, the smell of the lake might be displeasing to some because of the amount of raw sewage being dumped over decades. After Honeywell’s dredging project, the odors could be expected to diminish, but it is still very important to maintain the native flora recently planted in the area. Endangered species of birds and insects are returning to the lake, and their habitats cannot be littered with trash. 

Our survey findings have assured us that our next element in this project must be one that reaches out to the public and really draws attention to this issue.